FOR the most part of March, Kaduna state made headlines across the media for negative reasons; killings and violent attacks by terrorists and ethnic clashes have left the state grappling for a breath of peace.
This is due to a series of attacks by terrorists often called ‘bandits’ and ethnic clashes in Southern Kaduna.
This has led to the disruption of commercial activities in some parts of the state with the state government’s declaration of 24 hours curfew.
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Insecurity in Kaduna did not start in 2022; for most of 2021, the state witnessed a series of kidnappings of schoolchildren leading to the withdrawal of the governor’s son from a public school.
In 2021, more than 150 schoolchildren were kidnapped in schools in Kaduna state by terrorists who collected ransom to free some of their captives.
While the kidnappings and abductions reigned across the state, the southern part of Kaduna was witnessing killings and destruction of homes over religious cum ethnic crisis.
These crises have continued to haunt the development of Kaduna state as the recorded number of deaths, kidnappings and abductions continue to surge.
Kaduna Transportation; A death trap
Travelling from Kaduna state to any other part of the country has become a significant concern for many Nigerians, irrespective of their class.
In March only, all available means of transportation in or out of the state were attacked by terrorists which have led to the death of innocent travellers.
On Thursday, March 4, travellers were attacked on the now dreaded Abuja-Kaduna expressway, where four persons were killed.
This is not only an occurrence in March, but also in 2021, several cases of kidnapping and abduction on Kaduna roads forced many to abandon the road.
As an alternative, travellers switched to the Abuja-Kaduna train, but it was also not immune to attacks by terrorists.
The first attack on the train occurred on October 21 2021, when terrorists used explosives to derail the train. The ICIR gathered that the occurrence led to the deployment of security operatives on the train.
However, five months later, the train was attacked again, leading to deaths, kidnapping and injuries of travellers on March 28.
During the second attack, at least nine people were confirmed dead, while some are unaccounted for.
This has led to the suspension of train travels in Kaduna by the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Before the attack on the train on March 28, the Kaduna International Airport was also attacked by terrorists who gained access to the airport through the perimeter fence.
Although the attack was eventually repelled by security operatives, a staff of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Shehu Na’Allah, was killed by the invading terrorists.
All transport systems available to Kaduna travellers are now susceptible to attacks by terrorists.
Southern Kaduna killings continue
As the state struggles to contain the challenges posed by the terrorists, it has also been unable to quench or mitigate the decade long tussle in Southern Kaduna.
The ICIR reported that 34 persons were killed during an attack by gunmen in Giwa local government area on Sunday.
Less than three days after, gunmen attacked Giwa local government area, killing at least 50 and abducting many others.
The Southern Kaduna crisis is a violent indigenous clash between ethnic groups in the state.
An investigation by The ICIR revealed that security operatives and the state government ignored warnings of impending attacks on innocent residents.
This points to a lacklustre response of the incumbent government to stopping the killings in Southern Kaduna.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94